Defrosting means for refrigerating plates



July 3, 1962 E. M. LASAK ETAL DEFROSTING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATING PLATES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 8, 1960 July 3, 1962 E. M. I AsAK l-:TAL 3,042,381

DEFROSTING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATING PLATES United States Patent O F 3,042,381 DEFROS'IING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATING PLATES Edwin M. Lasak and William E. Lauterbach, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Dole Refrigerating Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed July 8, 1960, Ser. No. 41,631 3 Claims. (Cl. 257-187) This invention relates to an improvement in defrosting means and methods for refrigeration plates and has for one purpose to provide an improved means for periodically defrosting `such plates.

Another purpose is to provide a means and method by which such plates may be periodically defrosted by the direct action of the operator or user.

Another purpose is to provide an improved defrosting attachment for application to a battery or group of adjacent refrigerating plates.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specication and claims.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is a partial side elevation of a unit employing the invention, with parts broken away and parts in vertical section;

VFIGURE 2 is a partial side elevation, with parts in vertical section, illustrating one element of the unit; it may be read as a section, on an enlarged scale, along the line 2 2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan View of the unit; and

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan View, on an enlarged scale, of one element of the unit, with parts broken away.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, and considering, rst, FIG- URE l, we illustrate a unit which may have any suitable outside housing 1, the details of which form no part of the present invention. Within this housing we illustrate a plurality of refrigeration plates 2, the number of which is not critical. As a matter of fact, the invention may be used with a single plate or with four, or more. These plates are mounted upon any suitable supporting means Within the housing 1, the details of which form no part of the present invention. It Will be understood that the invention may be used with a variety of plates, but the particular plates herein shown are of the general type shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,875,595, issued on March 3, 1959 to Herman W. Kleist. The individual plates each have a circumferential flange `2a which may be an outward extension of a side wall of the plate. In the unit shown in FIGURE l it will be understood that the plates herein shown are arranged, as a matter of convenience, with their upper flanges in a generally parallel, generally horizontal position. Whereas the flanges need not be strictly horizontal, it is preferable that they terminate generally in a single horizontally extending plane.

Our defrosting assembly, as shown, for example, in FIGURES l*2 and 3, includes a header 5 mounted upon a suitable bracket or support or angle 6 which may be secured, for example, by screws 7, to a transversely extending supporting angle S, suitably mounted within the housing 1. A tubular :fitting 9, actually mounted on the bracket 6, is formed and adapted to deliver water to the header 5. We may employ, for example, a nipple or connection 10, herein indicated as screw-threaded as at 11, to which a suitable tube or water supply means may be secured when needed. Extending downwardly and outwardly from the header are a plurality of water delivery pipes 12, each one of which includes a generally horizontal portion terminating in a downwardly turned delivery end 3,042,38l Patented July 3, 1962 13. Each such delivery end 13 may be provided with one or more, preferably two, side delivery openings 14 and, if desired, with a bottom delivery opening 15, which is preferably of smaller size. Each discharge end 13 extends downwardly into and is secured to a distributing tube 20. Although their shape is not critical, we illustrate these tubes as being formed of a plurality of generally plane sides 211. As will be seen in FIGURE l, we employ distributing or spray tubes which are roughly rectangular in vertical cross-section, with the lower edge defined by the two lower walls being open, the four walls being unitarily formed or connected together at the two side corners 21a and the upper corner 2lb. A slot or space is thus provided between the lower adjacent edges of the two lower Walls 21, this slot being formed and adapted to permit each tube 20 to be yieldingly `gripped or positioned upon the upper portion of the circumferential flange 2a of one of the freezing plates 2. The lower edges of the lower walls 21 are indented or cut away, as at 25, to provide a plurality of preferably generally uniformly spaced water outlets. With reference to FIGURE l, the outlets of the left wall 21 will deliver water to the top of the plate 2, whereas the outlets 25 of the right-hand wall 21 will deliver water downwardly across the face of the right side of the plate 2. The arrows in FIGURE l illustrate the flow of the water from the tube 20 to the top sides of the plate. It will be understood that a tube 20 is provided for each of the refrigerating plates. In a three-plate unit, for example, three of the tubes 20 will be employed, connected to a common header 5 and receiving their cornmon water supply through the fitting 10. The outlets 14 of each delivery tube end 13 direct water laterally along the interior of a tube 20. If desired, some water may be permitted to escape directly downwardly through the outlet 15. Thus, when the device is in use, and a proper -water supply is connected to the nipple 10, water is delivered by one of the tubes 20 to the top and sides of each of the plates 2.

In the drawings herein each end of each tube 20 is closed by an angle element, generally indicated as 30, which is slotted at its end, as at 31. Through the slot 31 water escapes also downwardly along the end walls of each plate. Preferably, each tube 20 is of substantially the same length as the plate ange which enters it. Preferably, the walls 21 constitute a spring structure which can be sprung onto and will iirmly hold the edge ange of the plate. Thus a reasonably close it is provided, but with a plurality of openings 25 which permit the desired escape of the defrosting water across the surfaces of the plates to be defrosted.

'Ihe tubes 20 may be supported by their spring contact with the plates, or they may be additionally supported, for example, on cross-members such as are shown at 8i. In that event, the upper or horizontal portion of the angle 30, as at 32, may be secured by bolts, or other securing means, 33 to the angle 8. This permits a stabilized assembly. A similar angle may, if desired, be employed to receive the angles 30 at the opposite end of the spray tubes 20.

It will be realized that, whereas, there is described and illustrated a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit or our invention. It is therefore desired that the description and drawings be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limited to the precise showing.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

As is shown in the above mentioned Patent No. 2,875,- 595, it is customary to provide a substantially complete self-contained cooling unit which may be secured within a room or a vehicle, or the like. Such plates are frequently used in trucks, trailers, or the like, to refrigerate them during use. The plates may be employed in connection with a refrigerating cycling structure, as shown, for example, in FIGURE l of the above mentioned patent, or the plates may be used in short hauls without the use of a cycling assembly. It is common, for example, in truck refrigeration, to employ plates with an eutectic within the plate and surrounding whatever cooling coil is employed. As the truck or vehicle, and the refrigerating assembly, remain in use frost may form on the plate surfaces. A purpose of the invention is to render it easy to defrost these plates by merely causing a llow of water across the plate surfaces. Where our invention is applied to a truck, when the truck, with frosted plates, is received at a service station or home station, the user need only connect a suitable water supply to the nipple lil. For example, a iiexible hose with a suitable screwthreaded fitting may be connected, and water may thereby be delivered to the tubes 20. As shown in FIGURE l, the water which passes through openings defined by the notches 25 and the opposed surfaces of the plate flanges 2a will flow either directly down a side wall of the plate or out across the top of the plate to flow down the opposite side wall, as shown by the arrows of FIGURE 1. The slots 31 in the angles 30 provide an outlet for water to flow down the plate ends. Thus water, which may be at ambient temperature or warmed, if necessary, flows across all the frosted plate surfaces and the frost, in practice, is thereby speedily removed.

We lind it advantageous to employ aluminum if the plates are of steel. If, for any reason, there is electrolysis the aluminum will sacrifice itself, or corrode, without damage to the plate. If this corrosion goes far enough to unduly open the outlets 25, and the device becomes unserviceable, it can be quickly and easily removed and replaced, and little loss is involved. Preferably, the parts are sprung so that a snug pressure tit about opposite sides of the plate flange 2a is maintained. The water flows on both sides of the plate and, literally speaking, there is no spray action.

We claim:

l. In defrosting means for refrigeration plates and the like in which a plurality of plates are simultaneously to be defrosted, a plurality of generally hollow water distribution elements each being formed of a plurality of longitudinal walls joined together at acute angles, one for each plate to be defrosted, means for yieldingly and releasably securing one such element along the upper edge of each plate including a pair of yspaced flexible gripping members with generally parallel edge portions formed along the bottom of a pair of walls on each element, each edge portion having spaced recesses therein adapted to form with an opposed face of the plate, water discharge openings, the recesses being so arranged as to provide relatively closely spaced outlets effective to maintain a flow of water downwardly across the plate surfaces throughout generally the entire plate wall area, and means for supplying water to the interior of each of said water distribution elements including a header and connecting ducts between said header and each element, each of said ducts opening into a water distribution element and having an aperture therein to direct water along the interior of said elements toward the Water discharge openings.

2. The structure of claim l further characterized in that each of said ducts extends downwardly into the interior of a water distribution element and has a plurality of apertures therein to direct water along the interior of said element.

3. The structure of claim l characterized in that the water distribution elements are apertured at their ends whereby to permit water flow downwardly across the end walls of the plates.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,212,275 Mojonnier Aug. 20, 1940 2,271,648 Kleist Feb. 3, 1942 2,301,546 Hubbell Nov. l0, 1942 2,805,557 Hilger Sept. 10, 1957 

